The Interstate Highway System: 60 Years of Perspective Jerry Hall UNM July 13, 2016 1
Ike s 1919 Cross-Country Trip 2
Toll Roads and Free Roads, 1939 Plan for a 14,336-mile system 3
1939 Cross-section Design 4
Designating Interstate Routes FA Highway Act of 1944 Connect cities >50,000 Connect most state capitals 2 lanes if projected ADT < 2000 Original plan - 41,000 mile 1956 cost estimate of $27.5 B No funding mechanism 5
Eisenhower s Assessment Governor s Conference, 1954 Obsolete highway penalties Death and injury Detours and traffic jams Highway defect litigation Goods movement Defense, esp. atomic event 6
Clay Commission Report 7
1956 Breakthrough Plan a pay-as-you-go system Create Highway Trust Fund Tax fuel, vehicles, tires, Incorporate existing toll roads Evaluate RU tax changes Viability in 2016 8
Then and Now 1956 2016 Postal rate $0.04 $0.47 CPI 27.2 237.1 DJIA 470 17,900 Population, 10 6 169 324 Hwy fatal rate 6.3 1.08 FA Hwy Act (p) 29 490 Federal agency BPR FHWA President ID Ike Barack US Debt $270M $18B+ 9
Comparable Initiatives Erie Canal, 1824 Transcontinental RR, 1869 Panama Canal, 1914 Jet Air Travel, 1959 Land on Moon Internet, 1990 10
Original Interstate Map, 1956 11
Early Interstate Design 12
Entertainment Highlights of 1956 Top Songs Heartbreak hotel, Elvis The wayward wind, Gogi Grant Rock around the clock, Bill Haley Memories are made of this, D Martin Top Television Shows The $64,000 Question I Love Lucy Dragnet The Millionaire 13
Learning How to Design (1958) 14
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Partial List of Interstates 17
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Popular in 1956 Davey Crockett Hula Hoops Peanuts comic strip 3 TV channels BPR/AASHO/ARBA Marilyn Monroe Drive-in Theatre West Side Story Edward R. Murrow 1956 Chevys w/front bumpers 19
Interstate Consequences Improved mobility Dramatically improved safety Often improved environment Economic/Demographic Just-in-time delivery Urban renewal Bypassed cities Congressional earmarks Congestion 20
Moses Lake Bakery 21
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Thoughts on the Interstate The federal government should get out of the fuel tax since it is a traditional province of the states. Dewitt Greer, TX State Highway Engineer, 1953 The Highway Trust Fund is a large body of money surrounded by people who want some of it. Sen. Pat McNamara (D, MI) 1961 We ll never finish the Interstate. America is growing and the Interstate is a part of that growth and they are partners. Frank Turner 23
I-5 at Tangent, OR Central Willamette Valley Named for the 1871 tangent RR I-5 straight from Albany to Coburg, approx 34 miles 24
I-80, Utah 25
I-17, North of Phoenix 26
I-70, Eisenhower/Johnson 27
I-70, Glenwood Canyon 28
Oregon, I-5 29
I-25, Wyoming 30
I-93, Boston s Big Dig 31
H3 N from Pearl Harbor 32
Alaska Four routes, A-1, A-2, A-3, & A-4 added to Interstate in 1981
Roads and Pop Culture Road Songs On the road again, Willie Nelson King of the road, Roger Miller Long and winding road, Beatles Take me home, country roads, JD Hit the road, Jack, Ray Charles Road Movies Thunder Road (1958) Smokey and the Bandit (1977) Convoy (1978) 34
Interstate Changes Mileage crept up to 47,000+ Cost escalated to $150 B Opposition to urban I routes Increased urban travel Growth in goods movement Increased commute lengths Technological advancements Manage urban freeway ops Beyond design life 35
Interstate Challenges 36
Interstate Disruptions I-95 37
I-35 at FM 2484 (3/26/15) 38
Further North on I-35 39
More Interstate Facts Current Interstate Mileage 47,662 39% urban Fewest miles: DC 12; DE 40; RI 68 Western District ITE 12,453 9,100 miles rural (73%) 3,353 miles urban (27%) Connections to state capitals I-97 to Annapolis, MD (17.62 mi) I-580 to Carson City, NV (30.09) US 1 to Dover, DE US 54 to Jefferson City, MO US 83 to Pierre, SD 40
Last Interchange Alphabetically 41
Interstate Trivia Longest route I-90, 3,030 mi Shortest (2-digit) I-73, NC, 12.3 Most I miles TX, 3,233 mi Most I routes NY, 29 Highest elev I-70, CO Lowest elev I-8, El Centro Interchanges 14,750 Oldest segment Grand C Pkwy PA Turnpike 42
TRB Interstate 50 Ribbon Cutting 43
BTW, Where is I-50? 44
90 th Anniversary of US 66 45